ISO 30500 to boost global health in places without sewers

In many places around the world, rural and urban populations have to use toilets that aren’t connected to mains sewers. In many cases, city planners are working hard to address this by investing in infrastructures.

But for millions of people, non-sewered systems are the only option and with waterborne diseases posing major risks to human health, it’s important to get it right. That’s where an upcoming Draft International Standard comes in.

ISO 30500, Non-sewered sanitation systems – Prefabricated integrated treatment units – General safety and performance requirements for design and testing, seeks to provide general safety and performance requirements for the product design and performance testing of non-sewered sanitation systems for prefabricated integrated treatment units. It will apply to any integrated sanitation system that is not attached to a sewer.

ISO/DIS 30500 Non-sewered sanitation systems

General safety and performance requirements for design and testing. Now under development

In an integrated system like the ones covered by ISO 30500, the frontend collects, conveys and fully treats the specific input within the non-sewered sanitation system, to allow for safe reuse or disposal of the generated solid, liquid and gaseous output. The crucial distinction of this International Standard is that the backend is not connected to a networked sewer system.

ISO 30500 will contain criteria for the safety, functionality, usability, reliability and maintainability of non-sewered sanitation systems, as well as the system’s compatibility with environmental protection goals. It excludes guidelines for selection, installation, operation and maintenance procedures, or management of non-sewered sanitation systems, and neither incorporates nor substitutes for manufacturers’ instructions and user manuals.

For millions of people, non-sewered systems are the only option. That’s where an upcoming draft International Standard comes in.